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Updated May 19th, 2021 at 19:17 IST

Mark Boucher explains why AB de Villiers turned down South Africa return for T20 WC

Cricket South Africa on Tuesday in its official statement revealed that AB de Villiers has refused to come out of retirement and play in the T20 World Cup

Reported by: Ujjwal Samrat
Mark Boucher/AB de Villiers
Credits: AP | Image:self
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Cricket South Africa on Tuesday released their official statement on Twitter and revealed that AB de Villiers has refused to come out of retirement and play for South Africa in the upcoming T20 World Cup slated to take place in India. Following this, people on social media were left heartbroken as AB de Villiers is one of the most loved cricketers in the world. Now, his former teammate and South Africa's Head Coach Mark Boucher has revealed why the veteran Proteas player took this decision. 

Mark Boucher was quoted by The Citizen magazine which said that AB de Villiers has his own reasons which he totally respects. Boucher outlined de Villiers was concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been with the team. "AB has his reasons, which I respect. Unfortunately he’s no longer in the mix. I say unfortunately because I think we all agree that he’s still one of the best – if not the best – T20 players in world cricket,” Boucher said.

“But he alluded to being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system. I don’t think it sat well with him, which I understand. But as a coach, I needed to try and get our best players, for the team and the environment. AB is an energy booster in any environment, but I respect his reasoning. It was worth a go, but now let’s move forward," added Boucher. 

The idea of AB de Villiers' return came when the former South African player shone in the now postponed in the IPL 2021. The 37-year-old batsman played some explosive knocks at pitches where most of the batsmen struggled to get going. 

AB de Villiers has featured in 114 Test matches for South Africa in his career. He has accumulated 8765 runs in the longer format and has 22 centuries to his name. When it comes to white-ball cricket, de Villiers has scored 9577 runs in 228 ODIs with 25 centuries and 1672 runs in 78 T20Is.

AB de Villiers' retirement 

AB de Villiers had put down his papers in a Cricketing sense back in 2018 as he announced international retirement following a Test series against Australia. The AB de Villiers retirement news had shocked cricket enthusiasts across the world. Many opined that he should have carried on playing for his country considering his stunning form. The former South Africa captain had even expressed his desire of representing the national team once again on multiple occasions. The cricketer had spoken about the same during the latest edition of IPL as well. He had revealed that he said that he was in touch with South African team coach Mark Boucher and his return to international cricket is being discussed. 

AB de Villiers In IPL 2021 

The right-hander has been an integral part of the RCB side in the cash-rich league over the years. The player chipped in with phenomenal performances for his franchise in the latest season as well. The player wooed fans with his magnificent strokeplay as he contributed with a number of match-winning performances for the Virat Kohli-led side. As far as the AB de Villiers IPL 2021 stats are concerned, the veteran amassed 207 runs from 7 matches at a fabulous strike rate of 164.28.

(Image Credits: AP)

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Published May 19th, 2021 at 19:17 IST

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